Happy Halloween!

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Deviled Ducks

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So we've all heard of deviled eggs, but what about deviled ducks? This version of the traditional recipe is a little bit more rowdy, and a thousand times cuter!

Ingredients:

•  4 eggs
  
• 1/4 cups of mayonnaise (you may use the lite variety for less evil)
  
• 1/8 cups of sour cream (+1 teaspoon for the ducky's head)
  
•  1 teaspoon of paprika 
  
•  Salt and pepper to taste
  
•  Dash of cayenne (optional-and very wicked)
  
•  2 parsley leaves (as garnish)
  
•  Whole pepper seeds (as garnish)
  
•  1 baby carrot (as garnish)
  
•  2 toothpicks
  

For those of you who have mastered the art of hard-boiling eggs, feel free to skip this step (congratulations, its not always easy!!) But for the rest of us who are always guessing, here is a method for eggs that turn out right:

How to Hard-boil Eggs:

•  It is generally best to start with eggs that are about five days old; but if you are out of eggs and are running to the grocery store, try and pick the ones with a closer expiry date.
  
•  Place the eggs in a pot large enough to fit all the eggs needed for your recipe
  
•  Fill your pot with cold water, and make sure that it fills about an inch and a half past the eggs
  
•  Turn your stove onto high, and wait for it to reach a boil. If you find that your eggs are hitting against each other and against the pot, lower the heat slightly
  
•  Add a teaspoon of salt (this helps the egg peel easier)
  
•  And let it boil for seven minutes (7  seems to be the magic number for thoroughly cooked eggs)
  
•  Remove the eggs immediately, and run them under cold water. Leave the water running for about 2 minutes, until the eggs are cold enough to handle.
  
•  Once the eggs have cooled, you can begin breaking the shell. (I prefer to tap them over the counter, and peel them under running water to ensure that there are finicky shells left over)
  
• VOILA! There you have it, perfect hard-boiled eggs!
  

F.Y.I, these cook times will render the following results for your eggs:

3 Minutes: super runny eggs, the white has not had a chance to cook

4 Minutes: white has set, yolk is soft!

5-6 Minutes: soft, semi-solid yolk, fully cooked white

1. Take your hard boiled eggs and slice them in halves (Very carefully! We don't want any ugly ducklings!)
2. Remove the hard yolk with a spoon, leaving the white intact
3. Mash the yolk with a fork, until it is nice and smooth (ie, removing the clumps)
   

   
   
4. Put aside about 1/6 cup of the yolk mixture. This will be used to make the ducks heads later on
   
5. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream (leave a teaspoon aside), salt & pepper, paprika, and cayenne (optional, but adds an extra zing). Using your fork, mix all the ingredients into the yolk mixture, stirring it until it is completely smooth. You can choose to use an electric mixer if you wish, but I found that the ingredients mixed well with just the fork-- plus, it saves extra dish washing. 
6. Once your mixture is smooth, fill your egg whites. Piping is suggested for fancier occasions, or when you have the time! Once you have filled all 8 halves, set aside.
   
   
   -Now for the fun part-
7. Take the mashed up egg yolk that you set aside earlier, and mix it with a teaspoon of sour cream. 
   *If you find that your mixture is too thick, you may add more sour cream. If you find that you added too much sour cream, add a pinch of all purpose flour to thicken the mixture. 
8. Take a small ammount of the mixture between your fingers, and start rolling it into a 1/2" ball. 
9. -Take a toothpick, and break it in half. Insert the blunt end into the yolk ball, leaving the sharper end to be inserted into the "body"
   - Use 2 pepper seeds as the eyes
   - Cut the carrot into small pieces and use one as the beak.  You can choose to flip your eggs, filling down onto your platter, or leave them filling side up. Carefully insert the ducks head into the body. 
   

Congratulations, you now have 8 little ducks. I made a 'pond' simply by adding a couple drops of blue food coloring to sour cream. Enjoy :) 

Pomegranates

It's that time of year when all the pomegranates, cranberries, yams, and pumpkins start appearing in super markets! A lot of people are intimidated by the pomegranate, as they require quite a bit of work, I can't blame them!! In lieu of this, I wanted to share the art of POM peeling.

*Word of the wise is to have plenty of paper towels on hand

Supplies and Ingredients

•      Start off with a nice ripe pomegranate. I usually decide by the good ol'squeeze test; essentially you want a slightly firm pom that is bright red.
•      Sharp Knife
•      Cutting Board
•      Plenty of paper towels
•      A bowl filled with room temperature water

1. Place the pom on the cutting board, cut around the pomegranate (ONLY cut about 1/8" inch into the pom.)

2. Peel back the skin, and separate into two halves

3. Use your fingers to gently seperate the seeds from the core. You may find it easier to dip the pom into the bowl with warm water.

4. Once you have all your seeds in the bowl of warm water; you will see that any remaining white membrane floats to the top, and pick them out. Strain the remaining seeds and VOILA! :)

I prefer to eat pomegranates as a snack, or even in salads. They have so many health benefits (protecting against cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, chronic diseases, etc..) that I encourage everyone to go out and enjoy this fruit while its in season.

 Happy Eating!

Today I got one of the best surprises ever! MY OWN DOMAIN :)
xoxo

Welcome!!

I am so excited to finally get this website started! All my friends and family know how obsessed I am with food; and judging by the website, the rest of the world is aware of it too!

I want this website to be a place where inspiring chefs can come to and get inspiration and the confidence needed to make DUH-licious meals!

If you are wary of your culinary skills, I'll teach you how to make fabulous dishes that impress (or at least fake it!).

Thanks for dropping by :)
xoxo